TibKat's Insight's
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Are We All Idiots?
I was listening to some old NPR interviews “The Best of Our Knowledge” where they always bring in at least two different points of view that Jim had down loaded on his iPod. The first one was an interview with Doug Stanhope, who hosts, The Man Show. It was quite humorous because he doesn’t take himself all that seriously.
Jim Fleming, the interviewer, had asked him in particular about a skit they had done with “Dr. Phil” where they had set up a look alike Dr. Phil booth in a book store where he was promoting a supposed “new book”. An older woman approached him to get a signed copy and had indicated how she appreciated his advice. Our look alike went on to thank her and asked her to take special notice of his chapter in his new book on “Why Every Women Should Be Able To Take A Punch”. The interviewer, Fleming, asked him why he thinks some women may be offended by this and Doug said he really didn’t know why because there is no deeper meaning, it is just for laughs. He went on to say, “Is that in some way promoting beating women? How deranged would you have to be to believe that?”
It was a funny skit. I chuckled. It was also interesting to hear this misogynistic humor insist that it is light hearted funny. Doug insist that they are making fun of men, not women, because they in essence are saying “Men are idiots”, Doug’s quote. Idiots.
Richard Goldstein, co-editor of Village Voice, was the next interviewer who was asked about his opinion on The Man Show, he starts off by saying that it is some what “disturbing to have these men act out their fears of women by being aggressive” in this humorous way. Richard states he always supports free speech but insist that “comedy shouldn’t become an excuse to stop thinking seriously.” He goes on to talk about our pop culture and how this “Neo-Macho-ism” is prevalent in each generation, this rise of aggression and this panicky reaction coming out from a rise of feminist power is frightening. He insist that because of 9-11 men have come out screaming “Machoism” and say’s a number of times, “What is terrorism; if not a direct correlation to being macho?”
These two very different guests made me think that what these men were saying was poignant. I have to say that most of the men I know find this type of humor quite funny ... except maybe my oldest brother. I believe it has something to do with the American demographic that I sometimes feel are made up of mostly “idiots” - not only men but women too. People tend to soak up this humor like a sponge. We repeat jokes, we sing rap music about violence and women being raped, we even watch it on TV without even thinking who is around and what our children are possibly picking up and repeating. I believe it is because of this that people like Richard Goldstein, my brother, and I - and possibly even you - are offended by the macho humor. Not because we don't see the humor or find it funny but because the majority of people can’t separate it from it being just funny and don't realize that they start to take that in and that becomes their language and their outlook.
To quote Doug again, “Is that in some way promoting beating women? How deranged would you have to be to believe that?” Eminem may be my answer to that. The deranged are all around us. Some might even say they are in charge.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Socrates
Jim Fleming, the interviewer, had asked him in particular about a skit they had done with “Dr. Phil” where they had set up a look alike Dr. Phil booth in a book store where he was promoting a supposed “new book”. An older woman approached him to get a signed copy and had indicated how she appreciated his advice. Our look alike went on to thank her and asked her to take special notice of his chapter in his new book on “Why Every Women Should Be Able To Take A Punch”. The interviewer, Fleming, asked him why he thinks some women may be offended by this and Doug said he really didn’t know why because there is no deeper meaning, it is just for laughs. He went on to say, “Is that in some way promoting beating women? How deranged would you have to be to believe that?”
It was a funny skit. I chuckled. It was also interesting to hear this misogynistic humor insist that it is light hearted funny. Doug insist that they are making fun of men, not women, because they in essence are saying “Men are idiots”, Doug’s quote. Idiots.
Richard Goldstein, co-editor of Village Voice, was the next interviewer who was asked about his opinion on The Man Show, he starts off by saying that it is some what “disturbing to have these men act out their fears of women by being aggressive” in this humorous way. Richard states he always supports free speech but insist that “comedy shouldn’t become an excuse to stop thinking seriously.” He goes on to talk about our pop culture and how this “Neo-Macho-ism” is prevalent in each generation, this rise of aggression and this panicky reaction coming out from a rise of feminist power is frightening. He insist that because of 9-11 men have come out screaming “Machoism” and say’s a number of times, “What is terrorism; if not a direct correlation to being macho?”
These two very different guests made me think that what these men were saying was poignant. I have to say that most of the men I know find this type of humor quite funny ... except maybe my oldest brother. I believe it has something to do with the American demographic that I sometimes feel are made up of mostly “idiots” - not only men but women too. People tend to soak up this humor like a sponge. We repeat jokes, we sing rap music about violence and women being raped, we even watch it on TV without even thinking who is around and what our children are possibly picking up and repeating. I believe it is because of this that people like Richard Goldstein, my brother, and I - and possibly even you - are offended by the macho humor. Not because we don't see the humor or find it funny but because the majority of people can’t separate it from it being just funny and don't realize that they start to take that in and that becomes their language and their outlook.
To quote Doug again, “Is that in some way promoting beating women? How deranged would you have to be to believe that?” Eminem may be my answer to that. The deranged are all around us. Some might even say they are in charge.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Socrates
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